The cities with the most job gains and losses in 2021
Today, less than two years after the start of the pandemic, total employment is just 2.8% below the pre-pandemic peak. Researchers ranked states and metros according to the percentage change in employment from October 2020 to October 2021.
Cities With the Most Job Gains & Losses in 2021
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Since the short pandemic-induced recession of 2020, the job market has recovered quickly. At the onset of the pandemic, the U.S. lost over 22 million jobs, but according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nonfarm employment is currently just 4.2 million lower than pre-pandemic levels. While monthly job gains have not been steady, employment in October of 2021 was 5.8 million (4.1%) higher than a year ago.
Compared to the Great Recession precipitated by the collapse of the housing market in 2008, the economic contraction resulting from COVID-19 was both shorter and more severe. During the Great Recession, nonfarm employment fell by nearly 6% and the unemployment rate rose from 5% to 10%, which at that point was the highest rate since 1983. It took nearly seven years for these top-level job metrics to fully recover.
The official COVID-19 recession, on the other hand, lasted just two months, making it the shortest downturn on record, but also one of the deepest. In just two months, the unemployment rate rose from 3.5% to 14.8% and total employment dropped from 152 million to 130 million (or approximately 14.5%). Today, less than two years after the start of the pandemic, total employment is just 2.8% below the pre-pandemic peak.
Employment levels are increasing as the unemployment rate falls
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted some industries—especially those dependent on face-to-face interactions—far more than others. However, over the past year, every sector except utilities gained jobs back. Leisure and hospitality, one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, added the most jobs between October 2020 and 2021. After shedding nearly 50% of its workforce at the start of the pandemic, the sector grew more than 14% in 2021, adding nearly 2 million jobs. Other sectors that added the most jobs in 2021 include professional and business services, education and health, and transportation and warehousing.
Leisure and hospitality added the most jobs over the past year
On a regional level, the West Coast experienced the largest employment gains over the past year. Hawaii, whose tourism-dependent economy was disproportionately hurt by the pandemic, leads the country in job gains from October 2020 to October 2021 with a 10.5% increase in nonfarm employment. However, total nonfarm employment in the state is still 12.9% below pre-pandemic levels. Similarly, Nevada—which is also highly dependent on tourism—increased its employment by 7.6% from a year ago and remains about 5.5% below its pre-pandemic peak.
Hawaii and Nevada added the most jobs in 2021
To find the metropolitan areas with the most job gains in 2021, researchers at Self Financial analyzed the latest employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The researchers ranked metro areas according to the percentage change in employment from October 2020 to October 2021. Researchers also included the total change in employment, total employment, and the unemployment rate.
To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 people were included in the analysis. Here are the U.S. metros with the most job gains in 2021.
The small and midsize metros with the most job gains
15. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
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- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +4.7%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +118,800
- Total employment (October 2021): 2,641,000
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 4.0%
14. Raleigh-Cary, NC
Photo Credit: Farid Sani / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +4.8%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +30,000
- Total employment (October 2021): 657,200
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 3.0%
13. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA
Photo Credit: Luciano Mortula – LGM / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +4.8%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +129,500
- Total employment (October 2021): 2,823,800
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 2.4%
12. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Photo Credit: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +4.9%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +52,100
- Total employment (October 2021): 1,114,400
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 3.8%
11. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Photo Credit: Bob Pool / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +5.0%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +57,100
- Total employment (October 2021): 1,192,900
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 3.4%
10. Salt Lake City, UT
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- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +5.2%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +38,600
- Total employment (October 2021): 780,300
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 1.4%
9. Rochester, NY
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- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +5.4%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +26,400
- Total employment (October 2021): 516,200
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 4.2%
8. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Photo Credit: Bonnie Fink / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +5.4%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +73,300
- Total employment (October 2021): 1,419,200
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 3.8%
7. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Photo Credit: Chones / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +5.4%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +300,100
- Total employment (October 2021): 5,884,100
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 7.1%
6. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
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- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +5.5%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +140,500
- Total employment (October 2021): 2,693,700
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 4.7%
5. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Photo Credit: Checubus / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +5.6%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +109,400
- Total employment (October 2021): 2,062,500
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 4.6%
4. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
Photo Credit: Gregory E. Clifford / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +5.6%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +118,700
- Total employment (October 2021): 2,239,600
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 3.2%
3. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
Photo Credit: Roschetzky Photography / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +6.7%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +73,700
- Total employment (October 2021): 1,169,400
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 3.4%
2. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Photo Credit: Songquan Deng / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +6.7%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +78,300
- Total employment (October 2021): 1,253,800
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 4.4%
1. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
Photo Credit: Virrage Images / Shutterstock
- Percentage change in employment (YoY): +8.5%
- Total change in employment (YoY): +76,700
- Total employment (October 2021): 975,100
- Unemployment rate (October 2021): 6.6%
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